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Rocket bike man skis off his Minn. home’s roof, slams into fence

Remnants of a Willmar man's "rocket bike" was visible near his home. According to a police report, a man tried to jump the bike off a roof and was injured after landing on a fence. Attempts to contact the individual were not successful. Carolyn Lange / Forum News Service

WILLMAR, Minn. — A 40-year-old man is recovering this week after being injured after attempting to jump a homemade rocket bike off of his house roof in southeast Willmar in west-central Minnesota.

According to a police report, the rocket bike consisted of a pair of skis, a bicycle frame and motorcycle exhaust pipe and was being fueled with Heet, an antifreeze product.

The man identified Tuesday by the Willmar Police Department as Patrick Rodney Ellson of Willmar fell approximately 13 feet and apparently hit a fence in the yard during the fall.

When rescue personnel arrived in the Friday, Feb. 2, incident, he was on his back on a sled, pushing himself around on the driveway with his feet. He was reportedly swearing and yelling about the pain, according to the report.

While no one was at the Ellson home Tuesday afternoon, the remains of the ill-fated flight lay in the snow outside of the residence.